Penn State wrestling has been a power house over the last decade winning eight of the last nine national championships, however some of their toughest competition is in the practice room.
STATE COLLEGE- After finishing at the top of the podium at the U-23 World championships, Bo Nickal faced some tough competition, however nothing quite as bad as the Penn State practice room.
“I know that my toughest matches are in the practice room so I can be sure of my skills when I compete,” said three-time NCAA champion Bo Nickal.
Even though Nickal graduated from Penn State University, he and other graduates were granted an opportunity to wrestle under the eye of Cael Sanderson in the Rec Hall practice facility by joining the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club.
“The Nittany Lion Wrestling Club (NLWC) is a tax-exempt, charitable, educational organization with the purpose of educating and promoting amateur wrestling,” via the club’s website.
The club puts a focus on training athletes that want to compete at the Olympic level and has been recruiting world-class athletes since its birth in the 90’s. NLWC athletes have spoken very highly about the opportunities the club provides for development.
“Being around Penn State and the NLWC has really helped me jump levels the last five years,” Nickal stated, “I love being able to train with the best guys in the world and the best coaches in the world. It gives me a lot of confidence when I compete.”
For two-time NCAA champ, Zain Retherford, the decision to join the club post-graduation was a bit more comical.
“When I was 10 years old, I saw coach Cael on a Wheaties box for winning Olympic Gold. I thought it was the coolest thing,” exclaimed Retherford.
All jokes aside, years later, Retherford would have had a multitude of success wrestling for Penn State under the face of that Wheaties box, Cael Sanderson. He also eventually arrived at the option to train at the NLWC to pursue his young dreams further.
“The decision was simple,” stated Retherford, “I had grown immensely under the coaching staff during my college career at Penn State. I knew that the NLWC would provide the same opportunity for growth for me at the next level.”
It is common to see Penn State legends stay within the community to be coached by the same staff that they were in college to further advance their careers, but it is shocking to see an old rival join the pack.
In a Twitter statement, Kyle Snyder wrote, “The simple truth is I need to get better. In order for me to fulfill my obligations as a member of Team USA and as the defending Olympic champ, I must give full effort and take complete responsibility for this process.”
Snyder is the only wrestler to have won an NCAA, Olympic and World Championship in the same year. Post college wrestling, he decided to stay in Ohio and compete under the Ohio RTC. However, as the youngest wrestler to have ever won an Olympic gold medal, Snyder felt in order to grow and seek other wrestling knowledge, he needed to make the switch to join the NLWC in Happy Valley.
The unique thing about clubs like the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club is the fact that the members can still practice with the collegiate athletes. This is a rare opportunity for any college athlete and certainly benefits the Penn State wrestlers. Therefore, Snyder being in the practice room not only increases the star-power, but also adds another practice partner for guys like 2019 NCAA heavyweight champion, Anthony Cassar.
“I was super pumped when I heard he was coming to Penn State. It’s always great for me to have another big guy in the room, especially one of his caliber,” commented Cassar, “For me personally, I have trained with him a lot already and got a lot better so I’m excited to help each other improve.”
Cassar believes that just having these elite guys in the room from the NLWC is enough to push him and his teammates to become the best they can be.
“I came to Penn State in the first place to be surrounded by champions because that’s the easiest way to become a champion yourself,” said Cassar, “To be able to mimic what they are doing on and off the mat is just a huge advantage for everyone.”
With eight national championships in the last nine years, it is undeniable that Cael Sanderson and his wrestlers have found the secret to success.
Works Cited
“About: Nittany Lion Wrestling Club.” Welcome, www.nittanylionwrestlingclub.com/about-us.
Anthony Cassar: 2019 NCAA champion
Bo Nickal: three-time NCAA champion
Snyder, Kyle. “Thank You. Pic.twitter.com/MgujR7Awti.” Twitter, Twitter, 10 Oct. 2019,
twitter.com/Snyder_man45/status/1182364509815627776.
Zain Retherford: two-time NCAA champion